Very Cosmic

How about some krautrock? Oh don’t groan you lot.

In 1974 Michael Rother (from Neu!) joined with Moebius and Roedelius (both from Cluster) to make the Musik Von Harmonia album. This track (song isn’t really the right word) is Dino, lovely swathes of sound and melody with rhythm driving it on. The album also contains tracks called Sehr Kosmisch and Hausmusik- both of it’s time and ahead of time. I’ve got a feeling the last time I played this in full the even numbered tracks were good and odd numbered tracks less interesting, but I could be imagining it.

There’s something about all this snow and ice which seems quite teutonic. If you’re interested BBC 4’s excellent krautrock documentary is repeated tonight at 10.30. Worth staying up for.

04 Dino.wma

One Man Band

Dennis Hopper Choppers are a one man band from London. Ben Nicholls plays sitting down while singing, playing guitar, bass drum, hi-hat,vox organ and bass pedals. His album Chop-LP came out in 2007 with this song Little Johnny as the opening song, a mixture of shuffling 50s rhythms, rockabilly and country, Link Wray and Dick Dale, 60s rock (see the song Listening To The MC5), bassy surf guitar and a dash of menace. It’s good stuff.

01 Little Johnny.wma